Dear Friends,
I trust this message finds you, your families, teams, and customers safe and well.

Our nation is currently facing an unprecedented situation. At this crucial time, our brave men and women in uniform are standing tall at the forefront, ensuring our collective security and stability. As citizens, and as members of the auto retail fraternity, it is our shared duty to support the country in every way we can.

Over the years, our dealer community has played a significant role—not just in driving economic growth through employment, skill development, and revenue generation—but also in extending support to society through various CSR initiatives. It fills me with pride to see the overwhelming response from dealer friends across the country, showcasing their willingness to contribute meaningfully during this time of national need.

However, in light of recent developments, and as emphasized by our Hon’ble Prime Minister, it is now a time for reflection, unity, and calm. We sincerely hope for the restoration of peace and harmony across all corners of our great nation, allowing us to move forward toward prosperity together.

In view of the evolving situation and as a responsible industry body, we have taken the considered decision to defer the 4th edition of the Finance & Insurance Summit, originally scheduled for 11th June 2025 at Aurika, Mumbai Sky City. This decision has been made in solidarity with the current national sentiment, and we thank our dealer fraternity for their understanding and support. The same will now happen in sync with 7th Auto Retail Conclave on 10th September’25 at Le Meridien, New Delhi. FADA’s 61st AGM will happen a day prior on 9th September’25 at the same venue.

That said, I am pleased to inform you that the nominations for the Dealer Satisfaction Study 2025 (DSS’25) Awards for Finance & Insurance Companies and the FADA Dealership Excellence Awards will continue as planned, albeit with some changes in format.
• The Jury and Grand Jury rounds for the Dealership Excellence Awards will now be conducted virtually to ensure seamless and safe participation.
• The Gala Awards Evening, which will celebrate the achievements of both DSS’25 winners and Dealership Excellence Award recipients, will be held in-person, on 10th September as mentioned above.
• Earlier this month, my colleagues from the Managing Committee and I held a meeting with FADA post holders, including Governing Council Members and State Regional Directors. We discussed key upcoming initiatives:
• FADA Dealership Excellence Awards 2025
• Dealer Satisfaction Study 2025 (DSS’25) for Finance & Insurance companies
• DMS Benchmarking Survey
• FADA’s new Dead Stock Trading Platform for dealerships

We explained how each of these efforts will help improve business practices and provide valuable insights for dealers. We encouraged all post holders to take part and help spread the word in their regions so that every dealer can benefit.

So, to all my fellow dealers - if you haven’t participated in DSS’25 or submitted your entries for the Dealership Excellence Awards 2025, please do so soon. Also, encourage others to take part. Your involvement will make a real difference.

Additionally, in our continued efforts to strengthen collaboration with OEMs and stakeholders- I, along with Mr Sai Giridhar (Vice President, FADA), Mr Amar Sheth (Secretary, FADA), Mr Vinkesh Gulati (Past President, FADA), and Mr Saharsh Damani (CEO, FADA), met with senior officials from Mahindra & Mahindra and Kotak Mahindra in Mumbai. Similarly, Mr. Giridhar, Mr Damani and I also met with the senior leadership team at Mercedes-Benz in Pune.

These meetings were productive, and the leadership teams expressed appreciation for the initiatives FADA is driving for the benefit of the dealer community.

Meanwhile, FADA continues to actively pursue discussions on the introduction of a Retail Trade Protection Act in India. Efforts are underway to secure meetings with Union Ministers, State Ministers, and MLAs to build consensus and highlight the urgent need for a legislative framework that safeguards the interests of auto retail entrepreneurs across the country.

I'm also pleased to share that during the month, senior officials from Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL)—Mr Debashish Handa, Executive Vice President – Sales & Marketing, along with Mr Naveen Kumar and Mr Pankaj Kumar Karn—visited the FADA Secretariat and held detailed discussions with our CEO, Mr Saharsh Damani.

FADA is gearing up to actively pursue the implementation of the revised CMV Rules, 1989 across all states. In addition to continued follow-ups with respective State Transport Departments, FADA is also preparing to file multiple writ petitions to ensure timely and uniform enforcement of these rules nationwide.

In this context, a growing concern—especially among our two-wheeler dealer fraternity—is the business impact from unauthorised Multi Brand Outlets (MBOs) operating in violation of these norms. FADA takes a firm stand on this issue and urges all members to supply vehicles only to sub-dealers who have valid OEM authorisation, specifically Form 16(a). This form permits sub-dealers to apply for Trade Certificates to keep unregistered vehicles and register them in accordance with the revised CMV Rules. Let’s collectively ensure compliance and protect the integrity of our business.

In our collective effort to nurture future-ready leadership within the auto retail industry, FADA Academy, under the leadership of Chairman Mr Manish Raj Singhania, continues to be a strong pillar.
After two successful editions, FADA Academy is proud to launch the Executive Leadership Program (ELP) 3.0, in partnership with NMIMS, Mumbai. Specially curated for Gen X leaders of the FADA community, the program will be conducted in a hybrid format, combining online sessions with on-campus learning at NMIMS between June and August 2025. I encourage all eligible members to enrol at the earliest and take advantage of this unique opportunity to enhance their leadership skills. Seats are limited, so early registration is strongly advised.

During the month, FADA Academy also successfully concluded the second edition of the FADA Academy x IIT Delhi – Advanced Certificate Program in Automotive Operation & Future Technologies, held at the IIT Delhi campus. This immersive program brought together 15 participants—including five women entrepreneurs—from across the country. The week-long session featured a strong mix of academic learning, lab visits, and peer interaction, aligned with our vision of strengthening dealer capabilities with advanced knowledge.

Additionally, a key meeting was held at the ASDC office to chart the roadmap for setting up training centres under the FADA Academy x ASDC initiative. The discussion included senior leadership from both FADA and ASDC, reflecting a shared commitment to skill development across the dealer ecosystem. These initiatives continue to reinforce FADA’s role in shaping a well-informed, future-focused dealership community.

In today’s challenging market, optimizing frontline and support staffing ratios is critical. While industry benchmarks suggest dealership manpower efficiency averages around 75–80% utilization, many operations carry a 10–15% excess in support roles. Dealers should conduct a role-mapping audit to realign headcount—redeploying or retraining underutilized staff rather than increasing hires. Prioritizing retention through targeted upskilling and establishing in-house training modules will elevate team productivity, reduce recruitment cost, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

On the State fronts, FADA continues to stay closely engaged with state governments across the country to resolve critical issues faced by our dealer community.

In Delhi, there has been a change of guard, with Mr Ajay Agarwal stepping down due to personal commitments. We thank him for his service and welcome Mr Shailender Luthra as the new Chairperson of FADA Delhi.

Since taking charge, Mr Luthra met the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Mrs Rekha Gupta & the Hon’ble Transport Minister, Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh, to bring attention to the persistent number-series issue and other operational challenges. He along with Regional Directors has also met with the Special Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Delhi Transport Department to highlight ongoing issues at various RTOs. The officials assured that solutions would be implemented shortly.

To maintain strong dealer engagement, Mr Luthra also convened a chapter meeting at the FADA Delhi office to discuss key challenges and outline next steps, including an upcoming Town Hall. He has also extended an invitation to both Mrs Rekha Gupta & Dr Singh for their felicitation in a Townhall for a meet and greet event with Dealer fraternity and to address the dealer community at this forum, which has been graciously accepted.

In Madhya Pradesh, Chairperson Mr Ashish Pande raised critical concerns around BEV road tax calculations on the e-Vahan portal with the Principal Secretary, who acknowledged the issue and gazette notification amending the same has been issued.

In another instance, due to the prompt action by Mr Pande and the FADA Secretariat, the payment delay from a finance company to a dealer member was released within a week. This reflects FADA’s strong backing for its members—ensuring quick resolution and dealer protection.

FADA Jharkhand under Chairperson Mr Govind Mewar engaged with the Transport Secretary on CMVR compliance, refund of dealer funds, and pre-owned vehicle operations, showing our resolve to push for smooth and transparent business processes at the state level.

FADA Gujarat under chairperson Mr Pranav Shah made representations against the imposition of municipal road taxes in Gujarat.

In West Bengal, a productive meeting was held with Transport Secretary Dr Sumitra Mohan, attended by Mr Rohit Chowdhury, Chairperson FADA West Bengal, fellow dealers, and CEO Mr Saharsh Damani. The meeting was also attended by senior officials including the Regional Director of NIC, Special Secretary, Additional Secretary, Deputy Director, and various RTOs. Key issues impacting auto dealerships in the state were discussed, and the dialogue was both positive and solution-oriented.

As we move forward, let us stay united and focused on the shared mission of driving progress, policy alignment, and excellence in automotive retail. Our strength lies in our collaboration, and I’m confident we’ll continue making strides together.

Yours sincerely,

CS Vigneshwar
President - FADA